Derby County vs Bolton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Struggling Derby County volition look to assertion their archetypal Championship since the commencement of September erstwhile they play big to Bolton Wanderers connected Friday.

The Rams are languishing successful the relegation zone, portion the Trotters are sitting successful 16th spot successful the Championship table. 

Match preview

After finishing successful eighth spot past term, Derby came into this run with hopes of mounting a superior playoff bid successful their 3rd consecutive play successful the 2nd tier.

However, those aspirations person been rapidly replaced by relegation fears aft winning conscionable 1 of their 14 league matches this play (D4, L9).

The Rams person drawn 3 and mislaid 7 of their 10 matches since claiming their solitary triumph successful an distant clash astatine Portsmouth connected September 1, leaving them 

In fact, they person mislaid 4 of their past 5 games, including dense defeats successful their past 2 outings against Millwall and Norwich City.

After losing 4-1 distant to the Lions, Derby conceded 4 much goals without reply successful their midweek location clash against Norwich, extending their hold for their archetypal location triumph of the play portion leaving them with the second-worst antiaircraft grounds successful the division. 

With Derby besides the joint-lowest scorers successful the Championship, under-pressure John Eustace volition beryllium searching for inspiration up of the club's last outing earlier the planetary break, and helium whitethorn find it successful the information the Rams person won each of their past six location games against Bolton.

Bolton, meanwhile, person established a seven-point spread to the driblet portion successful their archetypal Championship run since 2018-19.

The Trotters volition caput into Friday's contention successful a affirmative temper aft ending a three-game winless tally with a constrictive 1-0 triumph implicit Charlton Athletic connected Tuesday, which came courtesy of Sam Dalby's sixth extremity of the season.

That effect made it back-to-back distant cleanable sheets and extended their unbeaten tally connected the roadworthy to 4 matches (W3, D1).

That is simply a important betterment connected the aboriginal stages of the season, which saw them instrumentality conscionable 1 constituent from their opening 3 roadworthy trips successful the Championship.

However, they person not beaten Derby successful their past 10 distant encounters since claiming a 2-1 triumph successful the EFL Cup successful October 1999 (D3, L6).

In fact, Bolton, who person ne'er won a league crippled astatine Pride Park, are looking to grounds their archetypal head-to-head distant triumph implicit Derby successful the EFL since picking up a 2-1 triumph astatine the Baseball Ground successful September 1981. 

Derby County Championship form:

Bolton Wanderers Championship form:

Team News

Derby are continuing to woody with a sizeable absentee database that features Eiran Cashin, Sondre Langas, Craig Forsyth, Derry Murkin and Charlie Taylor.

Matt Clarke and Patrick Agyemang person returned to afloat training, but it is unclear whether the important duo volition beryllium acceptable for Friday’s fixture.

There are besides doubts surrounding the fittingness of Joe Ward, Ryan Hedges, David Ozoh and Sammie Szmodics, the second of whom was forced disconnected successful Tuesday’s decision to Norwich. 

As for the visitors, Gavin Bazunu, Eoin Toal, Ethan Erhahon and Ryan Hardie are each improbable to diagnostic aft missing the past 2 matches owed to injury.

Schumacher is besides expected to beryllium without the attacking duo of John McAtee and Jayden Nelson owed to genu and hamstring injuries respectively. 

There are besides concerns implicit Josh Sheehan and Atsuki Ito, who some appeared to prime up injuries successful Tuesday’s triumph implicit Charlton.

Derby County imaginable starting lineup:

Widell Zetterstrom; Johnston, Nyambe, Sanderson, Robinson; Travis, Clark; Fuseini, Bilbija, Brewster; Morris

Bolton Wanderers imaginable starting lineup:

Bonham; Larrazabal, Forino-Joseph, Famewo; Conway; Simons, Watson; Iling-Junior, Rodrigues, Gale; Dalby

We say: Derby County 1-3 Bolton Wanderers

With Derby bereft of confidence, Friday's fixture represents a large accidental for Bolton to extremity their 45-year hold for an distant league triumph implicit the Rams.

We judge the Trotters volition emergence to the challenge, particularly arsenic they person enjoyed caller occurrence connected the roadworthy with 3 victories successful their past 4 distant games. 

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